1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an actuating apparatus for actuating a joint of a robot.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-249777 discloses a robot arm actuating apparatus including three links, which are coupled by three joints and extend from the base of an actuating system to the distal end of a hand. The base of the actuating system has three pulleys fixed to respective actuators. Each of the joints has a joint shaft, on which there are mounted as many independently rotatable pulleys as the number of wires that are trained around the pulleys and operatively coupled to the joint. When the robot arm comes into contact with an external environment, the wires, which are trained around the pulleys and fixed to the respective actuators, slip on the pulleys, thereby preventing the robot arm from applying excessive forces to the external environment.